Little Rock Nine statues unveiled

Nearly half a century after they faced down a mob to integrate Little Rock Central High School, the Little Rock Nine stood together outside the Statehouse on Tuesday and unveiled statues of themselves in that defiant walk.

Some cried as they pulled away the sheets draping their individual statues and saw themselves as they were in 1957.

Elizabeth Eckford looked at the statue of herself leading the way into the school and smiled and joked about the more slender chin on the statue.

The location, too, is heavy with meaning. The nine statues stand outside the governor's office, where in 1957 Gov. Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to prevent black schoolchildren from attending previously all-white Central High following a 1954 Supreme Court ruling. When the nine entered, they were under the armed guard of federalized troops.